Recent design criteria for circuit boards and modules require the utilization of varied types of electrical components and devices which are boxed or encased so as to be readily machine assembled or insertable into the circuit boards and modules. One type of machine insertable electrical device known as DIP's (Dual In-Line Packages) has received wide acceptance. Rolled metallized film capacitors of a type, such as shown in co-pending application Ser. No. 974,182 filed Dec. 28, 1978, in the names of W. J. Fanning and O. T. Masopust, Jr., may be DIP packaged in accordance with the disclosure in co-pending application Ser. No. 974,209, filed Dec. 28, 1978, in the name of J. R. Meal.
The present application is concerned with a unique configuration of a boxed rolled metallized film capacitor or other electrical component as well as a novel method of mass producing boxed capacitors which are readily adaptable to machine insertion.
A number of diverse manufacturing processes and apparatuses have been developed to mass process wound capacitor blanks into discrete terminated capacitor units. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,448 to J. H. Cotton, there is disclosed a fabrication method wherein wound foil-type capacitors are spatially secured in a ladder-like fashion between a pair of parallel wires. This ladder-like assembly is advanced incrementally to move the capacitor blanks through a series of work function stations where the wires are severed adjacent to one side of each capacitor blank, and then a slotted plastic sleeve is placed over each capacitor blank. Next, mold sections are moved about each severed capacitor and molding material is injected into the mold to merge with the sleeve to encapsulate the capacitor which is thereafter ejected from the mold.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,289,270 to C. C. Rayburn et al. and 3,292,233 to J. G. Black et al. also show methods and apparatus for fabricating wound capacitors wherein the capacitor blanks are spatially secured along parallel wires, which are eventually severed to form discrete capacitors with laterally extending terminal leads. U.S. Pat. No. 3,092,253 to R. J. Senger discloses apparatus for checking electrical characteristics of a string of discrete electrical components having axially extending leads captivated on a pair of parallel carrier tapes. As a result of the electrical checking operation those components found to be beyond an acceptable range of values are severed from the string.